Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD) is a preventable dental disease which affects the upper primary incisors followed by the primary molars of infants. BBTD is one type of tooth decay that is common in bottle fed babies and can result in pain, infection and tooth extractions. The exposure of sweet liquids like natural sugars with milk to an infant's tooth for long periods is the primary cause of BBTD. Babies who are bottle-fed to sleep have a 15% chance of developing BBTD due to the long exposure to sugar. This is because bacteria in the mouth of an infant, grow on sugars, producing lactic acid waste, which destroy baby's teeth.
The prevalence of BBTD among babies has increased as few mothers are breastfeeding their child until the age of one. Studies have shown that mother's milk has immunity towards bacteria, thus preventing the teeth to decay. Research has shown that 49% of mother's breastfeed their babies until they are 6 months and only 27% of mothers breastfeed their babies until the ideal one year. Therefore, 73% of babies are being fed with formula using a feeding bottle. Globally, around 42% of children including 2 to 11 year olds deal with tooth decay, 15% of which is entirely caused by Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD). BBTD is also known as dental caries, a breakdown of teeth due to acids made by bacteria. An interaction between three primary variables contribute to such decay, which include cariogenic microorganisms within the mouth, fermentable carbohydrates and tooth surfaces that are susceptible to acid dissolution. Examples of cariogenic bacteria include ‘Streptococcus Mutans’ or S.Mutans. These grow in an infant's mouth through sugar from milk or drinks, producing organic acids, such as lactic acid and acetic acid, which harm or decay different layers of the teeth (enamel, dentin and pulp).
Studies have shown that sucrose and other simple sugars such as glucose promote bacteria growth, which in an infant's mouth will produce organic acids such as lactic acid and acetate acid that rot the teeth and consequently cause tooth decay. Moreover, research has shown that microorganisms responsible for dental caries can also be transmitted from one individual to another, such as from mother to infant unknowingly. The effect of bacteria on tooth decay is detrimental as there are more bacteria in a mouth than there are human beings on earth. Although most of these bacteria are harmless to humans, some pose a serious threat to our oral health. Several studies have indicated that whilst the infant is sleeping, the flow of saliva in the mouth reduces and subsequently prevents the remaining food to be carried down the throat to be digested in the stomach. As a result, the sugars stay on the infant's teeth for an extended period, therefore giving the bacteria in the infant's mouth more time to eat, digest, and release their harmful acids, and eventually grow in population. A sleep-time bottle, constant daytime sipping from a bottle or sippy cup containing anything other than water and frequent snacking are practices linked to the development of extensive caries, and thus the prevalence of microorganisms in such cases is a popular cause of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD).
This condition can affect children before the young age of one. BBTD is painful, and can influence an infant's ability to eat properly, sleep through the night, grow and develop normally, and thus achieve full potential. Therefore, the misconception that an infant's primary teeth are not very important as they drop out in the ages of five to seven must be eliminated, since primary teeth are required for development such as chewing food, speaking correctly and smiling in the early years. Furthermore, caries in primary (baby) teeth have a significant and positive association with caries and malalignment of permanent teeth. Primary teeth erupt before thirty-three months, and will drop off before the infant is twelve years of age, prior to which the permanent teeth have already come out in the place of the primary teeth. This is because the partial falling or rotting of a tooth may stimulate a permanent tooth to grow out, to take its place, causing very crooked, unarranged teeth. Therefore, it is likely that an infant will develop bad eating habits and speaking problems if the primary teeth of the infant are damaged, in comparison to those children who have better hygiene.
As a result of the above, multiple smart baby bottles have been developed to deliver better oral hygiene. There is a growing emphasis on prevention of ill-health and in preventing diseases. For these reasons, efforts towards reducing the quantity of sugar intake through liquids have been traditionally tested. Further efforts demonstrate feeding bottles that have been designed to maintain the milks warm temperature, others measure the optimum angle at which the milk must be drunk from. Bottles have also been designed to measure statistics of fluid intake such as the time taken to drink the bottled milk or the amount of milk.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a baby bottle design, which protects an infant's teeth from decay and effectively supports oral hygiene in infants or children.